Collecting Incoming Postal Stationery

If you enjoy postal stationery (as I certainly do), you might consider collecting postal stationery to Luxembourg as part of your stationery collection.  Soon you’ll have a worldwide collection of postal stationery with an obvious connection to Luxembourg!  And with major auction catalogs searchable by key word, you’ll readily find some unusual items!

Here are a couple recent examples:

Germany’s First Postal Card
used to Diekirch in 1874

Saarlouis, 8 Aug 1874, transit Luxemburg-BHF [b/s],
8 Aug 1874, Diekirch [b/s], 9 Aug 1874

 

Incoming Postal Stationery from 
the Gold Coast in 1905

 

 

 

Gold Coast 2p registry stationery uprated 2½p

Accra, Gold Coast Colony, 9 Jan 1905, Plymouth, England transit, 26 Jan 1905, London registry [red b/s], 27 Jan 1905, Luxembourg-Gare transit, 28 Jan 1905, received Esch-sur-Alzette, 28 Jan 1905.

German Control-Dated Postal Stationery

Or, if you are budget-minded, consider collecting German control-dated postal cards used to Luxembourg.  These can often be found for a few Euros on websites such as Delcampe or at bourses. 

Michel’s Ganzsachen-Katalog Deutschland lists hundreds of these, ranging from Michel P 12a (1882) through P 48b (1900).  A collection of 50 would make a delightful showing.  Somebody should publish a checklist (maybe the German collectors have). 

A multi-frame exhibit of incoming control-dateds might not appeal to stamp show judges whose prejudice for rarity over challenge often is all too evident, but unlike JPMorgan, you won’t suffer a two billion dollar trading loss collecting the control-dateds!

Here’s an example (the control is at the lower right):

Holsthum, Germany, 20 Mar 1892, to Grevenmacher, 21 Mar 1892,
Michel P25a (10 pf. Eagle-in-Circle) with
Control 191 g [for January 1891].